National Republican., 1887-02-11
PROCEEDINGS OF CONGRESS-.
JUDGE wAXEM AND HIS CONSTITUENTS
FROM wAYBACK.
run and Personalities in the House
Eads SHIP Railway "wouid Shake or
the Fetters of the Clayton Bulwer
Treaty.v

In the Senate yesterday the presiding
officer presented ''resolutions OF joint
convention Of the houses OF the general
assembly Of Indiana' Republican mem
bersl protesting against the validity OF the
election of David Turpie as United States
senator. Referred to the committee on
privileges and elections.
Also a message from the House OF Rep
resentatives with substitute for the Sen.
ate Chinese indemnity bill.
Mr.. Edmunds said that the two bills ap-
peared to amount to the same purpose,
except that perhaps the House substitute
did 1t in more simple way. He moved
that the substitute be concurred In. Agreed
to.
Mr.. Dolph, from the conference commit
tee on the Senate amendments to the House
bill to repeal all presumption, timber cul-
ture, and desert lands laws, reported dis
agreement and asked for new conference.
He said I'm answer to question by Mr.
lpgalls) that the differences In the confer
ence committee had been quite radical, but
that they might be overcome. The most
important point was as to whether, where
there wae suspicion Of fraudulent entry, the
case should be finally decided by the Inte-
rior Department or by the courts. The
Interior Department should be the sole and
final Judge In the matter, whereas the Sem
ate conferees insisted that the man whose
title was attacked In the land Office shonld
have right Of appeal to the courts.
Mr.. Plumb said that he had been for many
years in favor Of the repeal OF the pre-.
emption law, but since the subject had
been under discussion O practice had come
into vogue OF character which was not
only threatening to individual rights, but
was subveTsve OF all proper rules OF pro-
cedure, and he thought that the rectiiica-
tion Of this practice was OF much more
Importance than the repeal Of the pre-.
emption laws or OF the timber culture laws,
or both. lie referred to proceedings by
special agents, by detectives, by private
inquiries, under which titles were assumed
to be set aside on eX parte hearings. THIS
was going on to an extent that was para.
lying business In certain sections OF the
west. He regarded the longer continuance
of this system as shame and disgrace.
Titles TO land under these preemption laws
should be settled In the courts, whether
they were the titles Of the poor aud humble
on the frontier or of the rich anywhere else.
Mr.. Call defended the administration Of
the land office, and said that II 1t was such
as was represented by the senator from
Kansas, the proper remedy was to have an
inquiry instituted and impeachment pro-
ceedings commenced
After further discussion, another con-
ference was ordered.
On motion of Mr.. Sewell, the House bill
to provide for the location and creation of
n branch home for disabled volunteer SOL
diers west Of the Rocky Mountains (appro-
prlating 0,000) was taken up, and amend
ed by the adoption Of a substitute appro-
priating $150,0O0, providing for ten instead
Of nine managers Zone of them to be q resi-
% .NaaA N., 30
Rocky mountains) and appointing James
A. Waymire, of San Francisco, to serve as
manager up to April, 1899. The bill, as
thus amended, was passed, and conference
asked.
The Senate then, at half past one, on
motion Of Mr.. Palmer, resumed consider
alton of the House bill relating to the i'm
porting and landing Of mackerel caught
during the spawning season.
Mr.. Miller renewed his attack upon the
bill, ridiculing the idea that the fishermen
who favored 1t did so as philanthropists.
The Bessemer steel manufacturers, or the
cotton manufacturers, or the coal pro-
ducers, when they wanted to raise prices,
suspended operations, but they never asked
Congress to do that for them. If this
fishing industry was confined to the states
of Massachusetts and Maine, why did not
those interested agree to stop purse seine
fishing for three months in the year9
Mr.. Palmer, chairman of the committee
on fisheries, said that, as the ancient gods
and goddesses, when they wanted to do
something that would not bear watching,
surrounded themselves with fog, so the
senator from New York got up a fog on
this subject. And when the fog was dis
PEELED by the friends Of the bill that senator
went to work and got up another fog.
There was no pretense Of philanthropy
about the bill. The fishermen complained
that their business was languishing and In
danger Of being destroyed unless close
d. season for mackerel was established.
The bill was then passed. Yeas "a, nays
IL. 1.-THE negative votes were Blackburn,
Call, Eustis, Evarts, Kenna, Miller, Sauls-
bury, sewell, Vance, Van Wyck, and Walt
hall.)
A committee of conference was ordered
and Messrs. Palmer, Gray, and Hale We're
appointed.
The bill, as passed, provides:
That for the period of FIVE years from and
after the fist day of March, eighteen hundred
and eighty-eight, no mackerel other than
what is known as Spanish mackerel, caught
between the first day OF March and the first
81 Se q oS
its shores; provided, however. that nothing in
this act shall be held to apply to the mackerel
caught with hook and line from boats and
landed in said boats, or in traps and weirs
connected with the shore. Existing laws IN
conflict with this are amended or repeale d
and penalties are prescribed for violation o.
this law.
The Senate then, at 2;45, resumed the
consideration of the Eads-Tehuantepec
bill, and was addressed by Mr.. Gibson In
support Of 1t.
He favored all attempts to pierce the
isthmus, and would even applaud the
genius Of Lesseps II he were successful In
opening the Panama canal. II Lesseps
could efface the barrier Of the chain OF the
Cordilleras he would accomplish the great.
est engineering feat in the history Of civlli
cation. He was not jealous of the gallant
nation which Lesseps represented, because
lie believed that the ancient friendship be-
tween France and America would be pro
NOTED through the neutrality imposed on
the Panama canal.
He was In favor OF the pending PROPOSE
tlon because Of the geographic proximity OF
the route and because 1t was backed as an
engineering scheme by the name Of Eads
The route would be, In fact, a continuation
Of the Mississippi river in nearly direct
line across the isthmus. He was in favor
OF 1t also because it was more easily de-
Tended than any other route proposed. The
opening of the Nicaragua route would
simply Invite an issue with France, England
and Spain on the Monroe doctrine. Great
Britain would be more likely to defer to the
wish of the United States In relation to 9
route through the republic OF Mexico thar
in relation to route over which Greai
Britain claimed certain sovereignty. He
had no particular fear, he said, of the Brit
ish lion. II treated properly that anima
was penceable one, He proposed to legis
late on this question without reference tc
any resentments that might still linger II
the minds Of some against Great Britain
The people of tho United States and OF
Great Britain understood that whenever
an American right was invaded the United
States were lin the language Of John O
Calhoun) ore and inseparable.
Mr. Hoar spoke in favor of the bill as one
Of the most important steps that the Amer.
lean people had taken for a generation
and Of which the prize was to be the con